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Radio journalist murdered in Mosul

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(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders deplored the murder of TV journalist Jawad al-Daami, of the satellite TV station Al-Baghdadiya, who was shot dead in Baghdad on 23 September 2007, less than a week after the killing of Muhannad Ghanem Ahmed, of radio Dar Al Salam, in the northern city of Mosul (see previous IFEX alert of 25 September 2007).

"The plight of the Iraqi media continues to be disastrous," the worldwide press freedom organisation said. "Ever since fighting began in 2003, journalists have been killed and the toll is likely to be higher this year than last, which was already very high. Fifty five journalists and media assistants have been killed so far this year. We once again call on the authorities to thoroughly investigate these murders so as to end the impunity enjoyed by the predators of press freedom."

Ghanem Ahmed was gunned down near a mosque in the Muharibin suburb of eastern Mosul on 20 September and his attackers escaped. He was the sixth journalist to be killed in the city this year.

Baghdad is still the most deadly city for journalists and 35 have been killed there this year. TV journalist Al-Daami, 40, was killed in his car in the western suburb of Al-Qadissiya. He had worked for Al-Baghdadiya for the past year. Another journalist with the station, Mazahem al-Hadithi, was executed in June 2006, five days after being kidnapped (see alert of 10 May 2006).

Since the Iraq fighting began more than four years ago, 203 media workers have been killed and 83 kidnapped, 14 of whom are apparently still being held.

Through this report the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) aims to highlight cases of ongoing killings, attacks and threats against journalists and other media workers in four countries, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and makes recommendations to enhance their protection using international mechanisms including the United Nations system.

Iraq had one of the highest murder rates for journalists in the world. Among those killed were Thaer al-Ali, editor in chief of the Mosul newspaper Rai al-Nas, and Jalaa al-Abadi, a cameraman for the Nineveh Reports’ Network.

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